On Monday, Microsoft revealed a radically different, slimmed down “whisper quiet” Xbox 360. How does the new Xbox 360 S stack up compared to Sony’s almost 1-year-old PS3 Slim?
(More on Techland: E3 2010: Unboxing The New Xbox 360 S)
Size
Xbox 360 S: 270 x 75 x 264mm/2.9 kg
PS3: 290 × 65 × 290mm/3.5kg.
Models
Xbox 360 S: 250GB/$299.99
Xbox 360 Elite: 120GB/$249.99 (No word on how long the Elite will stick around.)
Xbox 360 Arcade: 256MB/$149.99 (Does not reflect new design but MS says a revamped Arcade model is on the way. No word on what features will be transferred over from the S.)
PS3 250GB: $349.99
PS3 120GB: $299.99
Only the new Xbox 360 S has a removable hard drive. However, Xbox 360 external hard drives and memory units are not compatible. See how to transfer data to the new Xbox 360 S here.
Wi-Fi/Bluetooth
Xbox 360 S: 802.11b/g/n built in/No Bluetooth
Xbox 360 Elite: Requires Wi-Fi dongle/No Bluetooth
Xbox 360 Arcade: Requires Wi-Fi dongle/No Bluetooth
PS3 250GB: 802.11b/g/Bluetooth 2.0
PS3 120GB: 802.11b/g/Bluetooth 2.0
Peripherals
Xbox 360 S: Dedicated Kinect port out of the box
Xbox 360 Elite: Kinect must be connected to an external power source
Xbox 360 Arcade: Kinect must be connected to an external power source
PS3 250GB: Eye plugs in via USB, Move controller required
PS3 120GB: Eye plugs in via USB, Move controller required
I/O
Xbox 360 S: 5 USB, 1 HDMI, 1 optical out, 1 Aux (dedicated Kinect power port)
Xbox 360 Elite: 3 USB, 1 HDMI
Xbox 360 Arcade: 3 USB, 1 HDMI
PS3 250GB: 2 USB, 1 HDMI
PS3 120GB: 2 USB, 1 HDMI
Entertainment
Xbox 360 S: DVD
Xbox 360 Elite: DVD
Xbox 360 Arcade: DVD
PS3 250GB: Blu-ray/DVD
PS3 120GB: Blu-ray/DVD
What’s in the box
Xbox 360 S: 1 250GB HDD, 1 wireless 360 controller, 1 HDMI cable, 1 optical cable, 1 wired headset, 1 composite A/V cable, One month Xbox Live Gold membership, One year limited warranty
Xbox 360 Elite: 1 120GB HDD, 1 wireless 360 controller, 1 composite A/V cable, Ethernet cable, 1 wired headset, One month of Xbox Live Gold membership, free Netflix trial
Xbox 360 Arcade: 1 wireless 360 controller, 1 composite A/V cable
PS3 250GB: 1 A/V cable, 1 USB cable
PS3 120GB: 1 A/V cable, 1 USB cable
We’ll have a review of the new Xbox 360 S some time next week.